Score two more for Tritan, Eastman Chemical Co.'s specialty copolyester. In the wake of recent consumer fears about phthalates and bisphenol A in plastic water bottles, two manufacturers have introduced BPA-free bottles, including some made from the new resin.
CamelBak Products LLC's complete line of water bottles will be BPA-free by the end of April, said Sally McCoy, the Petaluma, Calif.-based company's chief executive officer, in an April 9 news release.
The CamelBak line includes four styles: the Better Bottle with bite valve, the Better Bottle with a classic cap, the Podium bottle and the Performance bottle.
``Each year, Americans dispose of over 50 billion plastic water bottles. Only a fraction of those are recycled,'' McCoy said. ``Using a CamelBak Better Bottle means they can [recycle] without having to worry about BPA.''
The company did not provide details about whether all the bottles or just the Better Bottle will be made from Tritan.
Nalgene Outdoor Products, a Rochester, N.Y.-based subsidiary of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., on April 10 unveiled its Everyday-brand line of Tritan-based products. The line includes bottles such as the OTG (for ``on the go''), the 32-ounce Wide Mouth and the Grip-n-Gulp sippy cup.
Nalgene's announcement about the Tritan-based line does not signal a total departure from polycarbonate, despite a spate of negative media coverage of the company. A new Web site showcases the firm's entire Nalgene product line based on the bottles' materials and intended uses, as well as recycling information, temperature ratings and microwave survivability.
``We've never been about one style of bottle or one type of material. We offer more than eight different product lines in seven different materials - the largest bottle offering on the market today,'' said Eric Hansen, Nalgene Outdoor senior marketing manager.
``Consumers can now use the information available through Nalgene Choice to easily find the perfect bottle that fits their needs, from our classic bottles to the newest Everyday Tritan options,'' he said
Nalgene bottles made with PET, polypropylene, low density polyethylene and high density PE are made ``without BPA or phthalates,'' the company said. It also claims that its traditional Nalgene polycarbonate bottles are made ``without phthalates.''
Since rolling out Tritan at K 2007 in Dusseldorf, Germany, Eastman of Kingsport, Tenn., has marketed the resin as a lighter, more heat- and impact-resistant and BPA-free alternative to polycarbonate.
In addition to CamelBak and Nalgene, Vita-Mix Corp. of Olmsted Falls, Ohio, uses Tritan to make the containers for its Vita-Mix 5200 household blender. Carlisle Food Service Products of Charlotte, N.C., uses the resin in its commercial soup bowls.
Eastman officials have said the firm would convert 220 million pounds of PET capacity over to copolyester by 2010.